Opinion: Dana Williamson and the secret world of Sacramento political operatives
Dana Williamson a former top aide to Gov Gavin Newsom center leaves the courthouse Wednesday Nov in Sacramento Photo by Sophie Austin Associated Press This column was originally published by CalMatters Sign up for their newsletters Largest part Californians presumably see the Capitol as a place where governors legislators and other state officers gather to do the residents s business That s true at least superficially Elected officeholders come and go but the Capitol has a permanent substructure of men and women who do the real if often hidden business of retail politics Those in the population as chosen dub it constantly circulate among its three pillars staff on the society payroll lobbyists for interest groups and managers of political campaigns It s not uncommon for someone to have portfolios in all three And as the revolving door opens and closes it s demanding to discern when and where one role ends and another begins or even whether there is in fact a difference Dana Williamson typifies the species And her arrest last month on federal criminal charges opens a window into the secretive world of California s professional political operatives The -count indictment alleges Williamson who had been Gov Gavin Newsom s chief of staff until her abrupt resignation a year ago conspired with two other figures to siphon money from a dormant political campaign fund maintained by Xavier Becerra a former congressman state attorney general and Biden administration cabinet member Williamson is also charged with falsifying documents to justify a COVID-era federal business loan lying to FBI agents and falsely claiming income tax deductions as business expenses for a lavish vacation and purchases of expensive designer goods The two men who were charged with Williamson Sean McCluskie Becerra s former chief deputy in the California Department of Justice and lobbyist Greg Campbell have pleaded guilty But Williamson insists that she is innocent It s the juiciest shame to hit the Capitol since the FBI s undercover bribery scrutiny dubbed Shrimpgate erupted years ago and sent specific legislators and lobbyists to prison Among the Capitol s power players Williamson has stood near the top working for three governors lobbying for various interest groups and running ballot measure campaigns She is known for a profanity-laced take-no-prisoners style After Williamson was arrested the question for several Capitol denizens was whether the incident would adversely affect Becerra who is running for governor and Newsom who is obviously if not officially running for president Becerra is a victim but may face questions about his judgment since he was apparently being fleeced by those he hired Newsom s office says Williamson resigned a year ago after telling him she was under study At the time he praised her as a dedicated population servant If there is something in the incident that could harm Newsom or at least give political rivals chosen ammunition it is what happened shortly after Williamson became the governor s top aide in According to the indictment she used the position to intercede in a pending state discrimination suit against one of her lobbying clients Activision Blizzard a Santa Monica video championship company and then lied to FBI agents about the event In Janette Wipper chief counsel of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing which brought the affair against Activision was fired Her assistant Melanie Proctor resigned in protest citing pressure from the governor s office to settle the incident Proctor wrote in a inhabitants memo that the governor s office repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and next procedures in the litigation in the event and the interference mimicked the interests of Activision s counsel The Williamson disgrace could be a one-and-done case if her attorney negotiates a plea agreement Or it could drag out if she insists on a trial and the dirty linen is displayed for all to see perhaps revealing even more politically embarrassing episodes of backroom maneuvers CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable Want to submit a letter to the editor guest column or opinion piece Find our guidelines and submission form here
